Authorities in Atlanta have arrested and charged Djimon Hounsou’s ex-girlfriend after the Beninese-American actor accused her of assaulting him when he tried to make her leave his home.
Per TMZ, Hounsou, 61, shares two children with his ex-girlfriend, Riza Simpson. New legal documents stated that Hounsou reported Simpson to police last December, claiming that she used a closed fist to hit him in the face after he attempted to make her move out of his Atlanta townhouse.
The Gladiator star also said that their children were inside the home and upstairs when Simpson allegedly assaulted him.
A warrant for Simpson’s arrest was ultimately issued, and she was taken into custody on Friday after police went to the home where the alleged assault occurred. Simpson has since been charged with two misdemeanors: simple assault and obstruction for allegedly providing false information.
Police also said that Simpson and her children were at the home when she was arrested. Officers said that when they arrived at the residence and knocked on the door, they heard the children crying, TMZ reported.
Hounsou also shares a son named Kenzo with model and fashion designer, Kimora Lee Simmons. In 2019, the Blood Diamond actor told the entertainment news outlet that he hadn’t seen his son in a while. He further claimed that he did not even get to spend Father’s Day with him.
Hounsou and Simmons ultimately got embroiled in a custody battle.
In March 2020, Hounsou opened up about an incident where his then-10-year-old son was called the N-word by another kid, Face2Face Africa reported at the time. He also revealed what he told him when he reported the incident to him.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s The Clay Cane Show, the Guardians of the Galaxy actor revealed that the incident occurred when he went to pick Kenzo from a soccer game. He recounted the incident when he was asked about how he talks to his kids about issues pertaining to racism.
“It’s tough especially if you don’t live with your kid,” he started. “Because how do you get to have those moments?”
“I went to pick up my son from a soccer game one time and he says to me some other kid called him the N-word. That’s how early it starts,” the 61-year-old actor recollected. “He’s wondering, ‘Why do you have to call me that word?’ I was wondering, ‘When do they start to get treated like a second class citizen?’”
When asked about his reaction and what he told his son, Hounsou said: “I said, ‘Which kid?’ So the kid was getting in the car and left. I said, ‘Well, don’t take that personally. Some people just feel insecure, and they just feel like they have to call you some kind of derogative, you know.’”
